Squad watch: Super League team news, including TV coverage and kick-off times
Welcome to Squad watch here on Love Rugby League, your go-to place for the latest Super League team news ahead of every round of action.
Squad watch is a weekly feature at Love Rugby League in 2024, which includes all the 21-man squads as and when they are announced for every round of fixtures.
St Helens v Huddersfield Giants (Thursday, 8pm, Sky Sports Action, Super League+)
Saints boss Paul Wellens, on the back of their big win against Hull FC, makes one change to his 21-man squad. Playmaker Lewis Dodd – who was named in last week’s 21 but missed out on matchday – now drops out altogether as he deals with an injury.
Winger Tee Ritson – who scored two tries on dual-registration for Swinton Lions in the Championship last weekend – returns to the Red V’s 21 in his place.
Thursday night’s visitors Huddersfield – who beat Leeds at Headingley last Friday night – also make one change as Harvey Livett misses out with a groin strain. Frenchman Hugo Salabio replaces him.
Ian Watson’s side are still without Chris Hill, Sam Hewitt, Jack Murchie and Andre Savelio, all sidelined through injury.
St Helens: Welsby, Makinson, Blake, Percival, Bennison, Lomax, Clark, Lees, Mata’utia, Batchelor, Knowles, Mbye, Bell, Sironen, Whitley, Delaney, Davies, Royle, Hurrell, Ritson, Stephens.
Huddersfield: Connor, Swift, Marsters, Naiqama, Bibby, Lolohea, Clune, Milner, Greenwood, Yates, Golding, English, Rushton, Wilson, Ikahihifo, Wallis, Cudjoe, Russell, Halsall, Salabio, Billington.
RELATED: Lewis Dodd injury update as Paul Wellens discusses ‘honest conversations’ with St Helens stars
Castleford Tigers v London Broncos (Friday, 8pm, Sky Sports Mix, Super League+)
For the first time in a few weeks, Castleford are able to name a full 21. Josh Hodson and Daniel Hindmarsh-Takyi drop out, but stalwarts Joe Westerman and Paul McShane return.
The Tigers also name a trio of new arrivals for the first time: Tex Hoy, Corey Hall and Sam Eseh, with the last of those joining on a two-week loan from Wigan, the team that beat Cas last Friday night.
London meanwhile – who lost out at home to 12-man Salford last time out – see one change to their 21. Seven-time Italy international Ethan Natoli is named and could make his first appearance of the year.
Gideon Boafo is the player to drop out of the Broncos’ 21. He has featured twice this season.
Castleford: Hooley, Wood, I Senior, Richardson, Miller, Watts, McShane, El-Zakhem, Mellor, Westerman, Horne, Milnes, Hall, Robb, Martin, Kibula, Hill, L Senior, Hoy, Eseh.
London: Walker, Kershaw, Bassett, Miloudi, Macani, Meadows, Butler, Davis, Lovell, Natoli, Parata, Stock, Williams, Adebiyi, Kennedy, Leyland, Storey, Hughes, Jones, Makin, Tison.
RELATED: Castleford Tigers’ extraordinary record of signing Hull KR players after Corey Hall deal
Hull KR v Wigan Warriors (Friday, 8pm, Sky Sports Action, Super League+)
New KR signing Jack Broadbent is brought into the squad immediately by boss Willie Peters, one of three changes to the Robins’ squad from their defeat at Catalans. Sauaso Sue returns having served a one-match suspension, while Reiss Butterworth is also included.
Australian Tom Opacic drops out through a shoulder injury, with youngster Yusuf Aydin – who has joined rivals Hull FC on a short-term loan – following suit. Ben Reynolds is the other to miss out as he serves a suspension picked up while in action for dual-registration partner Featherstone earlier this month.
Visitors Wigan see Ethan Havard available for the first time this season, with the England international having been absent since he was forced off in last October’s Grand Final triumph.
Matt Peet brings the prop back in for the trip to Craven Park, with youngster Jacob Douglas the player to drop out as a result.
Hull KR: Hiku, Evalds, Gildart, Hall, Lewis, Sue, Litten, King, Hadley, Batchelor, Minchella, Parcell, Luckley, Whitbread, Storton, Tanginoa, Butterworth, May, Tennison, Burgess, Broadbent.
Wigan: Field, Miski, Keighran, Wardle, Marshall, French, Smith, Havard, O’Neill, Farrell, Ellis, Cooper, Mago, Thompson, Leeming, Dupree, Hill, Nsemba, Hampshire, Chan, Eckersley.
RELATED: Wigan Warriors’ goal-kicking stance confirmed by head coach Matt Peet
Leigh Leopards v Catalans Dragons (Friday, 8pm, Sky Sports Arena, Super League+)
After a busy week on the transfer front after defeat at Warrington, Leigh make three changes to their 21. Boss Adrian Lam is able to name captain John Asiata for the first time since Round 3, with Louis Brogan and new signing Darnell McIntosh also included. Winger McIntosh has joined from Hull FC in a swap deal which saw Tom Briscoe go the other way.
Ed Chamberlain – who has separately made a month-long loan move to Hull – drop out for the Leopards, and so too do both Ben Nakubuwai and Lewis Baxter.
Catalans make the trip over the Channel without both Micky McIlorum and Mike McMeeken, with both suspended. Jordan Dezaria also drops out of Steve McNamara’s 21.
Replacing them, the Dragons turn to youth with Franck Maria and Loan Castano back in the squad, and Yacine Ben Abdeslem making a first appearance in the 21 at senior level.
Leigh: Hardaker, Leutele, Charnley, Moylan, Lam, Amone, Mulhern, O’Donnell, Hughes, Asiata, Norman, Davis, Halton, Trout, Holmes, McNamara, Hanley, Nisbet, Brogan, Dwyer, McIntosh.
Catalans: Mourgue, Davies, Romano, Laguerre, Yaha, Nikorima, Fages, Bousquet, Sims, Seguier, Garcia, Da Costa, Sironen, Navarrete, Rouge, Satae, Ikuvalu, Johnstone, Castano, Maria, Abdeslem.
RELATED: Leigh Leopards receive huge injury boost but key forward a doubt for Catalans Dragons clash
Salford Red Devils v Warrington Wolves (Saturday, 3pm, Sky Sports Arena, Super League+)
After their narrow victory at London last weekend, Salford are boosted by the returns of Sam Stone, Ben Hellewell and David Nofoaluma. However, the Red Devils will be without hooker Amir Bourouh due to injury.
Visitors Warrington welcome back influential forward Ben Currie from his pectoral injury while Scotland international winger Matty Russell also returns to Sam Burgess’ 21-man squad. Connor Wrench, who was forced off in last weekend’s win against Leigh, drops out alongside youngster Tom Whitehead.
Salford: Brierley, Ryan, Macdonald, Lafai, Cross, Cust, Sneyd, Vuniyayawa, Stone, Watkins, Partington, Atkin, Wright, Shorrocks, Ormondroyd, Hellewell, Dixon, Morgan, Mellor, Nofoaluma, Dudson.
Warrington: Ashton, Bullock, Crowther, Currie, Drinkwater, Dufty, Fitzgibbon, Harrison, Hayes, Holroyd, King, Nicholson, Philbin, Powell, Ratchford, Russell, Thewlis, Vaughan, Walker, Williams, Wood.
RELATED: Inside the whirlwind 48 hours of Hull FC’s pursuit of Salford Red Devils coach Paul Rowley
Hull FC v Leeds Rhinos (Sunday, 3pm, Sky Sports Action, Super League+)
Interim Hull FC head coach Simon Grix makes five changes to their 21-man squad from last week’s thumping defeat at St Helens with the five to come in being Ligi Sao & Jack Brown (returning from suspension), Jack Walker (returning from injury) and Ed Chamberlain & Yusuf Aydin (new loan signings from Leigh and Hull KR respctively).
Dropping out of the 21 are Darnell McIntosh – who departed for Leigh earlier this week on a permanent basis – and Cam Scott (failed HIA) as well as youngsters Denive Balmforth, Macca Harman & Jeylan Hodgson. Winger Tom Briscoe returned to the MKM Stadium from Leigh in the swap deal which saw McIntosh leave FC, but is currently out injured.
As Hull see some of their academy aces drop out, Sunday’s visitors Leeds have to call two more of their youngsters in as both Ben Littlewood & Riley Lumb join Rohan Smith’s 21-man squad for the trip across Yorkshire. They replace Harry Newman & David Fusitu’a, both of whom were injured in last week’s defeat to Huddersfield at Headingley.
The Rhinos remain without Ash Handley (rib) and James Donaldson (neck), with the trio of Tom Holroyd, James Bentley & Morgan Gannon all still sidelined as they follow the concussion protocol after failed HIA’s.
Hull FC: Tindall, Sutcliffe, Ese’ese, Houghton, Pele, Okunbor, Sao, Cator, Lane, Smith, Brown, Gardiner, Litten, Martin, Jebson, Laidlaw, Walker, Moy, Charles, Chamberlain, Aydin
Leeds: Miller, Momirovski, Croft, Frawley, Oledzki, Ackers, Martin, Smith, O’Connor, Lisone, McDonnell, Sangare, Goudemand, Sinfield, Ruan, Roberts, Edgell, Nicholson-Watton, N. McCormack, Littlewood, Lumb
RELATED: Explaining why Leeds Rhinos were able to announce Ryan Hall deal before May 1 deadline